Honeysuckle
by eatmyinsomnia
Summary: "Bianca's like honey," he turned toward her in his seat. "It's really sweet, but when it's threatened, it's protected by bees that will sting to keep it safe."


**My first Degrassi fanfic ****_ever_****, and its not Eclare. This actually surprised me. Well, weirder things have happened. Hopefully, I didn't butcher Bianca horrendously. **

**Spoilers of Season 13; enjoy!**

Bianca DeSousa hated being compared to a rose.

It reminded her of her time when she was roped into Vince's Gang and that was most definitely a time she'd rather forget.

"Yeah, my Bee's just like a rose," Anson would snake his arm around her waist after she'd cursed out another member of the gang that had gotten too close. "All thorns and blood, unless you see its petals up close. Then you'll see its true flush-colored beauty. Ain't that right, babe?" He'd squeeze her waist too tight as she plastered a sweet smile on her face.

After all of that was over, along with the unnecessary Katie fiasco that Drew had caused, her boyfriend had compared her to a rose and sent her into an episode that she hadn't expected. She simply stood up and left, sitting outside the Torres house on the bench in the backyard and staring at the brick ground. When Drew slid the door open, she kindly waved him away and reassured him that she was fine. He persisted for a moment, but ultimately let it go and went to set the table for dinner.

Bianca didn't realize the sun had gone down until Adam had sat down next to her. She looked and the younger Torres was calm.

"What's wrong?" He asked in a gentle voice.

"Nothing," she had smiled. "Just lost track of time." Her smile fell as Adam held her gaze, never breaking away.

"What can I do?" He asked again. "Please."

Bianca couldn't take her eyes away. She relayed why Drew's comment had caused her to leave, and Adam assured her that Drew wasn't upset, just confused as to how he had upset her. He held her hands in his as he spoke.

"You know you're safe with us, Bianca. You can tell us if you're scared or sick or sad. We want you to feel safe and loved. We all love you; you have become a part of our family. So please don't worry about upsetting us with something like this."

Bianca blinked back a couple of wild tears and smiled a soft "thank you." Adam nodded and returned inside. After she had followed, she explained her memory to Drew and he held her as he apologized for something she didn't want him to be sorry for.

It was watching a movie the next Friday when Adam spoke.

"Bianca's like honey," he turned toward her in his seat. "It's really sweet, but when it's threatened, it's protected by bees that will sting to keep it safe."

"You're right!" Drew agreed excitedly. "I'll still call you Bee, though. Honey doesn't seem like a nickname you'd take advantage of."

Bianca agreed, but she thanked Adam for his new comparison. It was much more pleasant than Anson's and it still rang true to her nickname.

Even though she didn't wear body spray much, Adam still gifted her with honey scented mist before she left for school. It was a small honeycomb-shaped bottle that fit in her palm. It was light and now sickly sweet, she could wear it and feel like she was walking through honeysuckles more than anything else. Still, she kept on the dresser in her dorm room and had only worn it for her going away party.

The next time she wore it was the day of the funeral.

She had been on the way back to Toronto; jumped out of a lecture as soon as Drew had texted her about the accident, throwing clothes into a bag and tucked the honeycomb into her pocket for good luck.

Her phone had been out of range and she didn't know until she'd already arrived at the Torres house at 5 am. All of the lights off and no cars in the driveway, she knew before she'd even turned her phone on. She sat on the backyard bench in silence, staring at nothing until and sound she hadn't ever heard ripped from her throat. It was mangled, anguished, and animalistic. Bianca screamed broken words at the God she knew didn't exist, if she'd ever had any form of faith, she most certainly would never again. A God wouldn't be so cruel to such a benevolent boy, and if He was Bianca would rather sink into hell than believe in him.

She had finished her breakdown before they got back home. She didn't have another. She couldn't let herself.

It was only when she slipped the black dress over her head did she see the honeycomb on the dresser. She felt her eyes water until she'd swallowed back her tears. Uncapping the bottle, she spritzed once behind each of her ears and once on her left hand, the side that Drew would be sitting on.

Bianca then realized that she wasn't honey, not really. The real honey was Adam. Sweet and making everyone smile.

But the world was a cruel place, and it likes to keep sweet things away from you.


End file.
